Public Hearings

Each community in the Pilot Program is obligated to hold public hearings to get input on proposed ordinances. Boat US has indicated that it will be insisting that better notice of these hearings is provided to the public, so that the public is advised of hearings such as the Oct. 4 hearing in Stuart more than just a few days prior.

NOTICE OF STUART CITY COMMISSION MEETING
Regular Meeting of the Stuart City Commission to be held November 14, 2011 at 5:30 p.m. - City Commission Chambers, 121 S. W. Flagler Avenue, Stuart, Florida 34994

Note that the FWC has indicated we still have the opportunity to make suggestions here. You can email coastal@martin.fl.us with your remarks. Don't miss this opportunity to make yourself heard, and your wishes known.

Stuart/Martin County

On November 8, 2011, the Board of County Commissioners will conduct a
public hearing to consider transmittal to the Florida Fish and Wildlife
Conservation Commission of an ordinance regarding the Anchoring and
Mooring Pilot Program. The agenda item and draft ordinance developed by the City of Stuart and Martin County staff is included.

There is still ample opportunity for incorporation of any suggestions
which you may have into the proposal. The City of Stuart and Martin
County welcomes your comments and looks forward to your participation at
the public hearing.

Sarasota, FL: A public meeting to discuss anchoring options outside the Bayfront Mooring Field will be held Thursday, November 3, 2011 5:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. in the Commission Chambers, 1565 First Street. The public is encouraged to attend and offer input. The conversation will focus on where boats will be allowed to legally anchor once the Bayfront Mooring Field, near Marina Jack, is operational in 2012.
Sarasota is one of five locations throughout the state selected by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) to participate in a mooring field pilot program. The City of Sarasota is being allowed to draft and implement an ordinance regulating where boaters may legally anchor outside the Bayfront Mooring Field.
The November 3rd meeting is an opportunity for the public to provide input prior to the City’s pilot ordinance being drafted. City and FWC staff will be in attendance to hear suggestions from residents, boaters and other stakeholders on how to regulate the non-mooring field areas. Once written, the proposed ordinance will go through the standard public hearing process.
The pilot program is scheduled to sunset July 1, 2014, at which time all local ordinances enacted will expire and will be inoperative and unenforceable, unless the program is reenacted by the Florida State Legislature. The five locations selected by the FWC to participate in the pilot program are: Monroe County (Marathon/Key West), St. Augustine, St. Petersburg, Sarasota, and Stuart.
Construction of the Bayfront Mooring Field is slated to begin in December, while the pilot mooring ordinance is being drafted and reviewed. The mooring field is expected to be operational by Spring 2012, with 35 mooring balls as approved by the City Commission in August 2010.
For more information contact project manager Tony Russo: 941-365-2200 ext. 6367.

Boaters, Marine and Tourism Interests Urged to Attend City of St. Petersburg Meeting Oct. 19

New Mooring Field and Possible Anchoring Restrictions on Agenda

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. October 13, 2011 - The possibility of anchoring regulations in St. Petersburg waters will be discussed by city officials on October 19. The city is seeking input from area boaters. Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) is urging boaters, cruisers and sailors, as well as those who benefit from visiting boater spending, to attend this meeting to have their voices heard. The City of St. Petersburg is participating as one of five cities in the state?s mooring and anchoring pilot project. As part of this pilot project, the city may develop an ordinance to limit nearby anchoring."In the coming months the city will be honing its approach to mooring and anchoring, and as a result, it will be crucial for boaters to weigh in," said BoatUS Executive Vice President Margaret Podlich. "This will be one of the few opportunities to provide input, so we need cruisers, local waterway users and those interested in boater spending to attend this meeting to ensure that a reasonable approach is taken and St. Petersburg remains a boating-friendly area."

The meeting will be held Wednesday, Oct 19, from 6:45 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. in the Karen A. Steidinger Auditorium at the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, 100 Eighth Avenue SE, St. Petersburg, FL 33701. Attendees are asked to RSVP by calling 727-893-7329. (If you wish to make your thoughts known, you can send an email to april.groat@stpete.org)For more background information on anchoring laws in Florida, see the "2011 BoatUS Anchoring Information" sheet at www.BoatUS.com/gov/florida.To get more information from the Florida Wildlife Commission on the pilot mooring program, go to www.myfwc.com/boating/anchoring-mooring.
From BoatUS Public Relations
Boat Owners Association of The United States
880 S. Pickett St., Alexandria, VA 22304
BoatUS Press Room at www.BoatUS.com/pressroom
Press Contact: D. Scott Croft, 703-461-2864, SCroft@BoatUS.com
Sept. 28, 2011

______________________________________________________________Stuart and Martin County, Florida, October 4 Anchoring Meeting Notice

Dear Florida BoatUS Member,
Heads-up! On October 4th there will be two local meetings in the City of Stuart in Martin County, Florida, to determine the future of anchoring in Stuart and Martin County. If anchoring is part of your boating experience, you need to attend one of these meetings!
Stuart and Martin County have been chosen to participate in the state’s mooring and anchoring pilot program. As such, they will be allowed to develop an ordinance to limit anchoring near mooring fields.
On Tuesday, October 4th, the city is hosting two meetings to receive public input and ideas for a draft anchoring ordinance. We strongly encourage all area cruisers to participate in this meeting to ensure boaters’ concerns are heard.

When: Tuesday, October 4th, 1:00 – 3:00 pm

Where: The Lyric’s Flagler Center

201 SW Flagler Avenue, Stuart

When: Tuesday, October 4th, 6:00 – 8:00 pm

Where: Blake Library

2351 SE Monterey Road, Stuart

To get more information from the City/County and Florida Wildlife Commission:Click here
For more background information on anchoring laws in Florida, see the new BoatUS information sheet
This will be one of few opportunities to provide input on these new local regulations. Please plan on attending, bring a friend, and share this information with others!

Welcome aboard...

Boaters and cruisers all along the East Coast are concerned about changes to their right to anchor in Florida. And well they should be...if the proposed changes go through, they'll see their rights to anchor first eroded, then entirely taken away, as communities throughout Florida demand the right to enact restrictive anchoring ordinances.We have been here before, we have fought this fight and won it - now, we have to do it again. This site is intended to keep you informed and up to date on current issues in the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Pilot Program, and what you can do to prevent your rights to anchor from being taken away.

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